“Listen O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.” Deuteronomy 6:4-7
This afternoon we took our kids out for some “Forced Family Fun,” a great term I learned from Miss Judith, our New Horizons Preschool director. We went for a simple walk in the neighborhood to spend some time together and get some sun and fresh air.
At one point, Kate motioned for us to join her on the side of the road and simply whispered, “Listen...” We all stood still, craning our ears toward the snowbank, and we heard it. The drips and plinks of snow melting. It was simple, and subtle, and beautiful, and we would have missed it had we not stopped to listen. Listening, as it turns out, is not just limited to our ears, but listening has to do with stopping and sensing with our entire beings.
The Scripture reading above is known as the Hebrew command of “Shema” or in English, Listen. The author is instructing the faithful on the basis of the Hebrew (and subsequently Christian) faith. God is one, we are to love God with all of our being, remembering and reciting this, talking it over with our families, at home and away. Listening here is not just passively hearing, it’s pausing and embodying that core message of our faith, Love.
It seems to me we have been given ample time right now to stop, to listen with our whole being, and to talk with one another about the love of God and what that means in our various households.
If you're not already, I invite you to take a little bit of time today, and every day from here on out, to just pause your work, your school, your screens, and listen to what God might have you hear.
O most holy God, grant us the gift of listening, not just with ears, but our whole being, so that we might sense the simple, the subtle, the beautiful details you have created, drawing us closer into your love. This we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
- Pastor Andy Bartel